Identification of inaccuracies in the calculation of drilling sludge volumes

Oil and gas producing enterprises at all stages of the life cycle have a negative impact on the components of the natural environment: atmosphere, soil, surface water bodies and groundwater. One of the serious environmental problems is the formation of drilling sludge during the construction of wells for oil and gas production. Some enterprises have debts on illiquid sludge barns. One of the reasons for this state of affairs is the shortcomings in the calculation of the actual volumes of sludge formed during drilling. The analysis of the existing methods for calculating drilling waste, literature sources and available materials for calculating the volume of drilling mud has revealed certain inaccuracies (errors) in calculating the volume of drilling mud and some unaccounted factors associated with the operation of drilling tools. A computational experiment was carried out and, using the example of one of the oil and gas producing enterprises, a comparison of the volumes of drilling sludge was made, taking into account possible errors, and a discrepancy of 181 m³ of drilling sludge per well was revealed. The elimination of errors in the calculation of waste generation standards and limits on their placement during the construction of wells will allow to adjust the volume of drilling waste generated and prevent the occurrence of possible environmental problems at the sites of well construction.